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DIY Cement Planters and Garden Globes

Written by Michelle Hinckley

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Hello Remodelaholics! Today I’m back with a really fun diy project. All you need is some cement mix, molds (aka old dishes or containers) and your imagination.  The sky’s the limit with what you can do with this project.

I’ve been wanting to do some really big cement planters for under my new garage lights for some time now but I decided to see if I could successfully make a smaller scale model before I tackle the larger version.

DIY Cement Planters via Remodelaholic.com

Untitled

 Ta-da!

Supplies

To get started on your DIY cement planters, you’ll need some cement mix.  (Make sure you get cement and not concrete mix).  Depending on how smooth or textured you want your end result to look you can add Peat Moss and/or Perlite to your mixture but those things are totally optional.  I found some really great cement recipes on the Garden Glove that you can experiment with.

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For my mixture I went for a semi-textured look so used one part peat moss to one part cement.  The amount of water is an eyeball thing.  What I figured out is the more water you use the thinner and more runny the consistency (duh).  The result of a runnier mixture is that you have less air bubbles which makes for a smoother finish but it takes a LONG TIME to cure and harden. I mixed everything in a big bucket and added water a little at a time until the mixture seemed right.  At first I used a long paint stir stick but that became time consuming and I ended up just sticking my hand in (make sure and wear a rubber glove) and got good and dirty.

When experimenting with using cement for the first time I decided to try my hand at several different projects.  I really just wanted to do some small planters but while treasure hunting at a thrift store I found a light fixture with three glass fixtures at a thrift store for $5.00.  Garden Glove featured Garden Balls (that almost sounds naughty) made out of glass globes so I decided to give it a try.

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After filling the globes with my cement mixture I gave them several good thumps to help it settle and release air bubbles.  After it had dried for about 24 hours I put the one globe at a time in a garbage bag, and gently tapped it on the sidewalk to break the glass away from the cement sphere inside.  Wear gloves to remove excess glass.

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To my surprise it worked! The snow literally just melted, otherwise I would have put them in a bed of foliage but for now…dead, frozen winter ground is the best I could give you.

Now this is where working with cement gets fun.  Anything you can think of you can pretty much create with cement.  I’ve collected old jars, glasses, etc. that I used for my cement molds.  You could even use milk cartons, old plastic food containers, you name it, you could probably use it.  Make sure to coat the mold generously with cooking spray so it will release when ready.  If not, you’ll have to break your containers to get your creation out.

4men1lady collage

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One of the other reasons I would recommend using a runnier mixture is this situation right here.  I used a rather clumpy/thick mixture which caused the edges that were exposed to never self-level and I was left with uneven lip.  Luckily I was able to catch it before it was totally dry and I used a knife to shave down the edge smooth.

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More shaving on this one.

4men1lady for Remodelaholic candle

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Perfect personalized, inexpensive gift!

If you’d like to see more you can also check out directions on making Hypertufa pots posted on Remodelaholic.

If you liked this project you’ll definitely like our DIY Terrarium with complete instructions!

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 To see more projects and renovations from 4men1lady, hop on over to our blog!

 DIY Cement Planters #remodelaholic

5 Different Ways To Make A DIY Concrete Planter | Learn how to make your own easy DIY concrete planter -- not just one way, but 5 different ways! Get the DIY tutorials at Remodelaholic.com

1: Hypertufa Cement Pots. Make a lighter-weight concrete planter with a natural stone look by making a hypertufa mix following the instructions here.

2: Concrete Plant Pots and Garden Globes. Use old plastic containers to make gift-sized concrete pots and upcycle an old globe light to make a garden globe.

3: Modular Concrete Mini Planters with DIY Molds. Recycle cardboard to make your own concrete mold (instructions here) and make a set of these modular mini planters for a desk or wall planter. The added gold edging is beautiful!

4: Tall Outdoor Concrete Planter. This is the big kahuna! Learn to use concrete dye to tint the planter a different color and how to make your own large concrete form from melamine, including adding a decorative detail.

5: Easy Freeform Concrete Planter. Create a whimsical slouchy bag style planter using materials you have around the house.


Let your yard’s flora shine with some of these other DIY planter ideas:

Cinder Block Planter
(plus more cement home and garden ideas)
concrete block planter and serving table, Hunted Interior

Stenciled Wooden Planter
(plus more hexagon projects)
build and stencil a hexagon box planter, Pepper Design Blog

Mailbox Trellis Planter
(and more mailbox DIYs)
diy trellis mailbox, Lowe's Creative Ideas

Porch Planter with House Number
(and more friendly porch ideas) 
welcoming house number planter box, The Scrap Shoppe

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Published: March 3, 2014Filed Under: Contributor, Gardening, Guest Bloggers Tagged: Contributors, Creative DIY Contributor, Gift Ideas, Guest Bloggers, Monthly Contributor, planter

About Michelle Hinckley

Hi all you Remodelaholic enthusiasts! My name is Michelle Hinckley and I blog at 4Men1Lady. As a wife and mother living with 4 men I long for all things neat and pretty. My hobbies include scouring the market for cool pieces of furniture, figuring out how I can replicate something high end for inexpensive and cleaning my house (yes, cleaning my house). I'm in constant pursuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men!


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Comments

  1. Jake's a Girl says

    March 3, 2014 at 9:31 am

    I absolutely LOVE these concrete planters. The pitted and imperfect look has always looked perfect to me. I will make a few more this spring and color wash them or use a concrete stain.
    Thanks for the reminder. I’ve made these for gifts and never made one for myself. hmm…

    JaG

    Reply
  2. Ceci Bean says

    March 3, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Michelle, these are fantastic! I’m totally going to search my home for things to turn into cement molds now. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Victoria Ross says

    March 7, 2014 at 11:05 am

    These are so cool! And so simple:) Thanks for sharing them. Definitely going to look at doing this once the snow melts (yes, that’s right, we still have snow here:*(

    -V

    Reply
    • Cass says

      March 12, 2014 at 11:52 am

      The snow will melt eventually, and then these will be fabulous! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  4. Allie says

    March 7, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    I LOVE these!!! the succulents are perfect for them, too! Awesome idea!!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      March 12, 2014 at 11:50 am

      Thanks, Allie!

      Reply
  5. yasbel says

    April 26, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    Love this…… made some today and they came out great love them …..thanks

    Reply
  6. Kristin says

    May 2, 2014 at 9:30 am

    OK this is the best tutorial for these cement planters, Martha Stewart’s is not even close to helpful. Thanks for the tips you added, I’m excited to try these!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      May 3, 2014 at 12:08 pm

      Glad to be helpful, Kristin! We’d love to see pics when you try it!

      Reply
  7. Lindsey says

    May 30, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    Hi,

    Wow great advice, I just tried using a runnier mixture but there is a film or water sitting on the top… is this normal?

    Reply
  8. Michelle says

    August 13, 2014 at 10:09 pm

    Love your pots! Do you ever get cracking in them a few days after planting? Would love to hear. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Dani says

      September 8, 2014 at 1:58 pm

      If cement cures too fast or too slow (mostly depends on weather) it can crack. You can use wire screen material or chicken wire (for larger projects) or burlap ( for smaller projects) like you use re-bar for pouring a slab. It should prevent most cracking but if you do still get some your project will hold together.

      Reply
  9. Tanya says

    December 11, 2014 at 4:43 am

    These are awesome. i would paint them in funky colours and match flower colours to the paint. do you put holes in for drainage?

    Reply
    • Cass says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      That sounds fun! I don’t believe there are holes for drainage in these, but these do have holes for draining or mounting on the wall: https://www.remodelaholic.com/2014/05/diy-modular-geometric-concrete-planters/. Thanks for reading!

      Reply
  10. denise says

    December 11, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    I’ve made the cement globes before and spray painted them with ‘mirror finish’ spray paint. they are really pretty gazing balls at that point.

    Reply
    • Cass says

      December 15, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    • paula says

      March 7, 2015 at 10:24 am

      how do you do the glove cement

      Reply
  11. GardeNerd says

    December 14, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    it would be fun to embellish the rims too- stones or broken crockery or sea shells, marbles, buttons, colored glass -whatever trips your trigger. I’m going to try some!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      December 15, 2014 at 9:55 pm

      Great ideas! We’d love to see when you do!

      Reply
  12. Aikku says

    March 4, 2015 at 7:40 am

    These are absolutely beautiful pots and balls! Houses made of concrete are ugly to see but when you bring that material in your garden or home, it looks absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us. <3

    Reply
    • Cass says

      March 4, 2015 at 1:43 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Tammy says

    April 3, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    I absolutely love your site! I am just starting out and I attempted these cement planters and had absolutely no luck 🙁 Even after 4 days of drying, the process of getting the glass off ends ups also crumbling my cement. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. Any suggestions? I would be eternally grateful!!!

    Reply
  14. Tammy says

    April 3, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    …actually, I think I just figured out my problem. We had been doing some yard work and I think I used the wrong cement or concrete mix that was for something else. My bag do cement was in a different corner. Can’t believe I did that.

    Reply
    • Cass says

      April 3, 2015 at 4:59 pm

      Oh no! I’m sorry! I hope it works out for you on your next try!

      Reply
  15. Ramon says

    April 14, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    Do you use anything to cure or seal the planters? Also, what about sanding or polishing to give a nice finish?

    Reply
  16. maria says

    May 10, 2015 at 2:12 am

    This is just amazing!! I can’t wait to make my own cement gifts!! REally well done 🙂 Best regards from Majorca

    Reply
    • Cass says

      May 11, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Send us a picture when you do! https://www.remodelaholic.com/share-brag-post/

      Reply
  17. Lynn says

    November 15, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    I made a few of these planters and I had trouble with a few plants growing in them. Do you think the cement is toxic to plants?

    Reply
    • Cassity says

      November 16, 2015 at 6:54 pm

      No, I don’t think cement is toxic to plants, especially since they use cement in landscapes all over the place.

      The reason your plants are dying could be from a whole lot of factors. You might have the wrong soil for the type of plant you put in, some prefer sandy soil, others not. You could be over or under-watering or there may not be enough light. I would look into care for certain types of pants and make sure you are meeting all their needs. If they are still not growing there may not be enough room for their roots, they may need a larger container, in which case you might need a different (smaller) plant.

      Reply
  18. jen says

    November 20, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    do you use anything to seal your planter?

    Reply
  19. Mary-anne Abrahams says

    June 23, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    Thanks so much can’t wait to get started.
    I would love to have a hole in the bottom for water to run out how do I create that.

    Reply
    • Cass says

      October 3, 2017 at 11:28 pm

      Hi Mary-anne,
      You’ll just need to modify the mold that you pour the concrete into, like Ananda did in this tutorial here: https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-modular-geometric-concrete-planters/

      Reply
  20. Beatriz says

    July 18, 2018 at 7:36 am

    I used concrete once I liked the final product but I noticed that every time I moved the vase there were concrete dust on the surface of the counter. Does this happen with cement? If so, is there a way to avoid this?

    Reply
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Hey there, I am Cassity! Nice to virtually meet you!

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